Tuesday, January 28, 2014

{touch: bed linens.}

I am on a mission. I want to not only use all 5 of the senses I've been blessed with... I want to indulge in them.
I want to literally stop and smell the roses (and any other scent that crosses my path...)
I want my taste buds to tingle from the delicious (and maybe not so delicious...)
I want my fingertips to brush the fabrics that make this world soft, my feet to feel the cobblestones and sand and woods that hold it all together.
I want my ears to delight at the sounds of  life. music. nature.
My eyesight may not be 20/20 but I've still got it, and I want to truly see my days.
I'm done with breezing through on autopilot. It's time to really live.
jersey sheets, Target. $39.99


I will no longer wish that I could find my life's passion.
I'm simply going to be passionate about life.


I spend the majority of my hours sitting at my desk, working.
I spend the second largest amount of hours in bed.
I can't really do much to change my desk situation (for now), but I sure as hell can make the place where we lay our tired bodies the most cozy of places. That's where I'm starting.

We replaced our worn out pillows with fresh ones from Ikea. When we noticed the dogs had put a hole in the comforter, I grabbed the plush, kingsize "throw" blanket from the sofa and spread it all the way out. It's not thick, but man is it soft! It's working pretty dang well. We put a set of jersey sheets on the bed...if you want cozy and warm, get yourself some jersey sheets! I'm sleeping like a baby.
Gosa Pinje (king) pillow, Ikea. $16.99

We also got rid of our big, cold, hard wrought iron headboard and hung a few chair cushions from World Market in it's place! Added some major softness when you want to sit up while reading or watching tv. They no longer have ours in stock, but here's a similar style.
chair cushion, World Market. $14.99





The mattress should probably be replaced soon, but that's gonna be a large purchase....so we'll see.
Next up for our bedroom will be:
smell~ our room stays pretty closed up (we have blackout curtains and a window unit), so it needs fresheners.
sight~ we tend to be really lazy with laundry and clutter...enough said.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

{the evolution of me: childhood}

What we remember from childhood we remember forever - permanent ghosts, stamped, inked, imprinted, eternally seen.  ~Cynthia Ozick

I was born in the Spring of '84. My mother was in her early twenties, my sister was 6 and my brother was barely 2 1/2. Our father was in prison. I found that out when I was a nosy little 10 year old, snooping through a suitcase of old things in my mother's closet. If I've ever been told the reason for his imprisonment, I have forgotten. It's not important to my story anyway.
We were poor, but I didn't notice. We had a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. I didn't have a nurturing mother, no, she was too busy working nights and providing the necessities for her young family of four. But I had my big sister. She taught me the art of sitting in one spot, tuning out the world and devouring a good book. I'll be forever grateful for that.
When I was in kindergarten, we (with my mom's boyfriend) moved out of the apartment world and into a mobile home park. A real house!
Shortly after the move, I met Shannon. She was a few years older and her brother was my sister's age. I don't remember if we met on our own in the neighborhood or because Ashley and Michael had started dating. We were instant friends. Inseparable for the next 7 years. Together, we were greatness. She showed me that it was okay to be 100% myself. Almost daily, we would carry her boombox out to the drive way and in front of the whole world, we would dance our little hearts out. Olivia Newton-John. Paula Abdul. Janet Jackson. We rescued every stray cat we came across. We watched soap operas that were way beyond our years. We even let ourselves play with dolls and toys. We didn't care one bit what anyone thought of us. We were so cool. She was the first person that I sang with. We spent a huge chunk of our days singing. And we were good. We are still friends to this day.
One stormy night (I don't really remember if it was storming outside, but man was there one brewing in my little 9 year old world), my mother broke her boyfriend's heart. And that broke mine. After 4 years, I thought of him as "dad". She told him that she didn't love him, that there was someone else and that we were going to live with him instead. My brother took a weekend fishing trip with him, but other than that, he disappeared from our lives. I hated my mother for that. I hated her for many years.
All of a sudden, I was forced to live with a man that I didn't know, who wasn't nice and who had 3 bratty kids of his own. They were jerks. 2 boys and 1 girl. I wasn't the baby anymore, I was the 5th of 6. If I wasn't at school or with Shannon, I was in my room. Reading, snuggling with my Rusty Cat, living in my own little world. I dreamed of my real dad. What he looked like (which according to my uncle, was exactly like me, and that's why mom didn't love me like she should have), where he lived, did he ever think of me... if he had another family...if he was even still alive. My brother and sister had some memory of him, but I had nothing.
My childhood wasn't sad though. I had Shannon. I had friends. I had aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents that loved me. I had my books and my cat. I had an absolutely perfect first kiss and my first real love when I was only 10 years old. 2 different boys, 2 beautiful souls, both with equal share of my innocent little heart.

Friday, January 3, 2014

{gratitude in january}

1. for a new year. 365 blank pages.
2. for good tunes. played loud.
3. for my David. Happy birthday love.
4. for no-work-saturdays. time to just veg.
5. for little "roadtrips". Ikea is so fun.
6. for recipe victory. finally got a favorite dish just right.
7. for inspiration. wherever it may be.
8. for laundry rooms. i really should use mine more.
9. for foggy days. they are too rare.
10. for bourbon. sometimes, you just need a glass.
11. for hindsight. and clarity. and memories.
12. for the excitement of a vacation. soon.
13. for Mondays. trying not to greet them with a bad mood.
14. for an end to a losing streak. and a hubby that folds laundry.
15. for phone calls with sister. even when they aren't for good news.
16. for nephews that need us.
17. for V
18. A
19. C
20. A
21. T
22. I
23. O
24. N
25. for a safe and smooth flight home.
26. for a long day of loving on the pups. they were soooo missed.
27. for a job that I'm happy to return to and coworkers excited that I'm back.
28. for being happy.
29. for tissues with aloe.
30. for income tax W2s. a little bonus.
31. for a lovely beginning to 2014.

{Me and Martha.}

Well, it is officially 2014, which means my year-long project has begun. Sort of.
We've been in that after-the-holidays-funk, so we haven't really tested ourselves in the kitchen. That will change this weekend! I was going to cook my way through Martha's Cooking School book, but then I thought, wouldn't it be more fun to live this year through her monthly "Living" magazine instead? I mean, she covers everything appropriate for every month on the calendar- cooking, crafting, good thoughts, good things, etc. I'll still use the book, but the magazine seems like a better fit.
Problem- it's now the 3rd of January, and I still haven't seen this months edition on newsstands or lighting up my kindle screen :/
What's a girl to do?
I'll tell you what I did. After a crap day at work, I stopped by Michael's (conveniently located at the end of our street) and picked up a few things for something I had in mind. Not a Martha craft per se, but I definitely think she would approve!

(...until I get home from work, and can get better ones, this photo from my phone will have to suffice)

I took a wooden picture frame (10x10) and replace the generic picture with a sheet of burlap and the glass that the frame came with. I topped it with some birch wood slices (for coasters) and 2 small (faux) magnolia buds in that beautiful blue vase. I think it makes for a very pretty little setting!
Decorating goal for 2014: bring more of the outside, in.